Communications between devices within a computer system are typically performed using one or more buses that interconnect such devices. These buses may be dedicated buses coupling two devices or non-dedicated buses that are multiplexed by a number of units and devices (e.g., bus agents). Moreover, buses within a computer system may be dedicated to transfer a specific type of information. For example, the x86 microprocessor architecture developed by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., includes a three bus system with address, data and control buses for respectively transferring address, data and control signals.
In computer systems employing advanced architectures and processors, such as Pentium®Pro, Pentium®II, Pentium®III or Pentium®4 processors, bus transactions typically occur in a pipelined manner. Separate data and address buses facilitate the pipelining of bus transactions. Specifically, the next memory access may start after a previous transaction request is issued; and all components or phases of a bus transaction are not required to complete before another bus transaction may be initiated. Accordingly, requests from numerous bus agents may be pending at any one time.
Accordingly, as indicated above, a vast amount of research, as well as system architecture design, has been directed to increasing data throughput within computer systems. In addition, technologies such as, data pipelining, out-of-order execution, and the like, enable advanced architectures and processing with significantly higher clock rates and world-class performance. Furthermore, this research, as well as architecture redesign, has enabled a mobile market for laptop computers, hand held devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like.
Unfortunately, such mobile platforms are limited to a run time dictated by the life of a battery used by the respective platform. Accordingly, depending on the complexity of the mobile platform, the respective mobile platform can deplete power resources from an attached battery within a relatively short amount of time. In part, this is due to the fact that many of the electronic elements of the platform continue to consume power when they are not being used. Therefore, there remains a need to overcome one or more of the limitations in the above-described, existing art.